A Prairie-Schooner Princess

ays as the canvas-covered wagons rumbled slowly along the dusty, rutted Illinois roads, and years later, when the events then bei

le the horses plodded on through the long, hot, silent days, and his mind was often busy with the

llinois River, then struck off again to the west,

ght sight of the great br

m by poking him in the ribs, "look what a big

a better look at it. "Look at the whopping big bridge across it!" he whooped, pointing at the gr

ed and looked ba

r age to ask! Don't you know where we are? What have you s

Mississippi! This is Illinois, that State over there i

Father of Waters. And the boundary line "-he continued thoughtfully, speaki

i at last-hurra

rt. Golly, when I got kept in last winter 'cause I couldn't tell what States

the Mississippi at Davenport, on the first bridge built across the river, which had been completed but a few weeks befo

ted buildings, as if dumped unceremoniously into their present location with no view to permanency, they observed groups of men

Lige. "Wonder what sold

d general store Mr. Peniman turned to the

e stops, stretch their legs, buy candy and gum, and exchange greetings

protestations were cut short by his father's

aid with unusual curtness, an

t us get out," grumbled Sam,

gons, and when he did Joe noticed that he looked pale and gr

ished the occupants of the wagons by coming back with a new Enfield rifle in hi

for, Father-me?" cr

with a gun. Lige can use the old rifle. I bought o

yes very wide. "Why, dear man, thee knows that I c

avely, "thee must learn." And the words were spoken in a tone an

way she turned to him and asked in

wished now with all his heart that he might spare her he knew that

n obliged to flee, and many of them have been murdered. I cannot tell thee the horrible details. They are sending out State troops. It w

e friendly, but a white trader deceived and murdered the brother o

d women-and children?" she gasped, ev

. They have carried the w

have mer

r give these red brothers cause for anger against us, and perhaps we may escape

uish. "Oh, Joshua, I wish we had never come to thi

have come too far on our way. Thee-thee would not advise that we

estern horizon, her arms clasped tightly about the baby, which she pressed almost fiercely to h

has sacrificed too much to turn back now. We can on

wife," he whisper

eside them. No camp-fire was built that night, and the supper was prepared over as small a fire as possible, a piece of sacking placed over the

es you have been looking forward to for so long. I have no idea that you will have occasion to use thos

ige as they listened to his words. Not even the

been accustomed to do, but with Spotty beside him and a loaded

f the horrors of the massacre, slept tranquilly, but Joshua Peniman patrolled his camp all night, while

art of western Iowa, where settlers were far apart and

nimals, forced to travel all day through the heat o

hot day, during which the pioneers had all suffered, she gave but a sm

ut she grew steadily worse, and two days later, while they were traveling over a barren, de

a tiny cross marked with her name and age. Then the bereaved parents went on their w